how to be a furry:fursona
Your fursona and you
As a furry, your fursona is a vital part of your image. In a sense, it is your image. As such, you have the right to defend it against all comers and paste large watermarks over so much as a snot stain in a napkin that looks like it. You are hereby authourized to wank* furiously and cry "art theft" if someone else's fursona has even the same eye color as yours.What's a fursona?Short form: a furry version of you. Long form: a derivative, unoriginal being of unoriginal, derivative species who will represent you in Livejournal icons and yiff.
It is important that you study the current trends in the Fandom in order to outfit your fursona with a competitive list of features. Given the mercurial tastes of the fandom, this may require market research and a focus group. However, if you had either, you probably wouldn't be a furry.
Gender, preference, and species
One's gender, in the furry fandom, need not match one's actual gender. In fact, it's completely normal to be a transgendered bisexual crossdressing woman who was born a man. In the fandom, one's gender and sexual preference determines one's species(see handy table below). One may attempt to create one's own species(see sidebar), but this is not reccomended and should only be attempted by trained professionals. However, crossing a standard species with demons or angels is technically okay.[director commentary]
female | herm | male | all genders | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
all prefs. | dickgirl | butch | boi | gay(seme)/bi | gay(uke)/bi | straight | all prefs | ||||||||
foxes, rabbits, small cats, panthers, deer | same as females, but with dragons and unicorns | same as seme males | same as uke males | dragons, wolves, dogs, horses, large cats | small cats, rabbits, dragons | good luck, buddy | foxes, wolves |
- dickgirl
- Essentially a female with a penis above her vagina. Usually without testicles.
- butch herm
- A heavily muscled male with feminine waist, hips, breast, and vagina. Less common than dickgirls.
- boi herms
- Effete males with vaginas. Almost never used.
- Seme males
- A term taken from anime; used to refer to the dominant male in a homosexual relationship. In this case, used to refer to fursonas that are dominant males, which are usually bristling with muscle and have genetalia large enough for small children to play on.(see below) Also know as the "top".
- Uke males
- The converse of the seme male. Also taken from anime, this term is used to describe the submissive, or "bottom" in a relationship. In furry fandom, usually somewhat effete, with standard-sized genetalia.
- Straight male
- An urban legend
Colour scheme
Most furry color schemes involve a series of three colors; The main color, a secondary color used for details, and another color used for even finer details. Usually, but not necessarily, the design incorporates black or white somewhere. Generally, the design uses the primary color as the general fur/skin.scale color,the secondary color for any large areas that are different from the primary color, including most of the hair,
and the tertiary color for any markings, differing hair color, and eye color.
Somefurs occasionally go with only two colors. for this to work, one of the colors should be bright, and the other dark.
[director commentary]
A good place to find color groups is in those types of candy advertised on Cartoon Network, especially if it's shaped like a ribbon or string.
Your "thing"
For one to have a fursona that everyone will remember, one's fursona needs to have a "thing"; a unique, visual statement identifying it as yours. Unique, that is, until the fanfurs copy it. But with furries, the rule of creative primacy is everything; no one remembers the horde of copycats, just the first few.Your "thing" can be anything; a particular color scheme, marking pattern, piece of clothing, or accessory. Only one rule applies; it must be distinctive. Else one will disappear into the hordes of furry masses. And you wouldn't want that, would you? One of the most effective "things" one can make is a simple altering of a commonly found object into something else. Usually oversized pieces of jewelry. Weapons can't be "things" because one generally can't use them for sex, and everyfur has cool weapons automatically, usually given to them by their parents on their deathbed.
For example, imagine wearing a giant Prince Albert around one's neck. Imagine the inherent irony, a genital peircing being trivialised to something as mundane as jewelry. Even better; imagine it was the ring on a slave collar. Oh, the paradox! A symbol of submission with it's power sundered! Oh, the juxtaposition! The irony! The statement on man's inhumanity toward man!
[director commentary]
Another good "thing" is a generally unregarded species. For example, Holly "Zer" Ramirez used a Lemur for her fursona. Within months, one couldn't move for lemur furs. And plenty of them copied her color scheme, too. Even today, one can see five of six furrys with lemur tails being uploaded to deviantART per day.
Here are some examples of "things".
biolumonescent lure thingies, like certain deap-sea fishes have | early 2000s | Kasai |
breathplay | late 2005 | Felixpath |
lemur fursonas | early 2000s | Holly "Zeriara" Ramirez |
huskies | 1999-2000 | N/A |
hybrids | 2000- | N/A |
seraphim-like headwings | 2003 | Miss Mab |
asymmetrical markings | 2005- | \\NO CARRIER |
white main color | 2003- | Apple Computer |
There is also piggybacking; seizing upon an obscure "thing" and making yourself its champion. If you popularize it, you will be associated with it, even if someone else came up with the idea. The trick is to direct every mention of it to the original artist in such a way that most will miss the link. It's also a good idea to
As a convenience, I provide a list of heretofore unclaimed or unpopular "things". First come, first-served.
- prince Albert around one's neck
-
slave collar with loop on a long chain. [director commentary]
- any mutation of bondage stuff
- blind furry who sees by sound
- blindfolds
- slave collar on ankle
-
anything medical that doesn't restrict movement -
non-pink tongue -
black trenchcoats - insect furs
Clothing & accessories
A fursona's clothes are one of the most important aspects of it, after their "thing" and their genitalia. Generally, a fur can wear whatever they want, and it will still "barely" contain some attribute or another, whether it's one's "threateningly large" penis, one's "wide, curvy" hips, or one's "full, lucious[sic]" breasts. Fur-clothing has the tensile strength of drop-forged steel.A good rule of thumb for male furs is to wear a black trenchcoat and a katana. Nevermind the actual practicality of such a thing; your fursona will have a katana, and it will be given to him by a relative or martial arts tutor on their deathbed. Both sexes can wear mysterious pendants, given to them by same. Female and herm furs always wear at least one item of really tight clothing, no matter how uncomfortable it would actually be. The only tight clothing male furs wear is pants, usually khaki or black, always with a "prominent bulge".
Be sure to have your fursona wearing at least one item of clothing that matches their color scheme, and that they wear predominantly. Most fursonas wear jeans and t-shirts.
Genitalia
Your genitalia can be informally described as "what's in your pants". Since this, in the fandom, can range from a penis, to a vagina, to varying combinations of the two. In this fandom, genetalia includes dicknipples, tailcocks, pricktongues, and so on. Above all, it must be oversized, and it must be able to make objects of your affection fall at your crotch if you so desire. Logic, practicality, and the laws of space and time are no barrier to your almight humps. Your sexy little lumps. Your lovely furry lump.Your clothes have no bearing on your genitalia. Fursonas, as mentioned earlier, have the miraculous ability to make any piece of clothing stretch to accomadate their junk. They can even make ordinarly loose clothing tight around the crotch and/or breasts. For the purposes of this tutorial, several non-reproductive areas are catagorized as genitalia.
- Penis
-
One's penis must either be realistically sized, or stretching up to-or past-one's abs. Uke's are usually realistic. Semes are usually not. In fact, if you're a seme, being able to touch your nipples with your dick is known as "undersized". And don't worry that you'll be accused of "compensating". All furries have small dicks. Dickgirls are also expected to have large dicks. The better to buttpunch you with, my dear. [director commentary]
For no reason, a penis the size of a limb can be stored in a nearly-invisible sheath. Several herms' junks are actually effectively invisible unless they're aroused. - Vagina
- Eyes are drawn to it, even through clothes. Always dripping and/or moist. Always. Even through pants. Said pants can also hold penises large enough to require an extra airline seat.
- Breasts
- Always D-cups or larger.
- Waist/abs
- On girls, dickgirls and Ukes, slim and girlish. In both herms and Semes, rippling with muscle.
- Hair
- For no real reason, the hair on furs head is often completely different from that on the rest of the body. Usually of differing colour and/or length, regarless of whether the given species even has hair on their body. Most common is Sephiroth-style hair or emo hair, to match one's t-shirt. It is entirely possible for one's hair to have biological-streaks, with no aid of dye.
- Eyes
- Either "soul-piercing", "smoking", "deep" and/or "mysterious", "pain-filled", or "entrancing". Heck, try 'em all.
Once you've combined these into a suitable fur, it's time to determine one's fetishes.
Name
As a general rule, your fursona should have a name that includes its biological class (EG: dog, cat). If your fursona is a dark and/or angsty male(go for both, just to be safe), make sure to include "dark", "raven", or "blood" in their name. More rarely, add "blade", "fang", or "death". If he's a vampire, add "Alucard". Females and tend to have adjectives or occupation names as the start of their furnames, combined with the name of their class. E.G.: PlayfulMonkey, ShiningKitty, DataentryDrake, SyphiliticWolfen.Syphil-?Tribal names are also hot. Use this namegen to come up with a perfectly good furry name. Try African, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Welsh, Theology, and Ancient Celtic. Try the name of a secondary character in a console RPG.
Got all of this done? Good, you're ready to move on.